Injured bat found on stoop

Leaving the house this morning, a neighbor spotted a tiny bat huddled on our stoop.

The creature had a gash in one wing and wasn't moving. It was still breathing, through, and the day was already getting hot and sunny. So we called upon a friend, David Mizejewski, who'd know what to do.

In the meantime, Heather and I put on heavy gloves--bats can carry rabies--and carefully put the little guy into a shoebox. We lined it with an old t-shirt, filled a jar cap with some water, and punched a few airholes in the lid.

We named it Enzo, in honor of the shoebox's former occupants.

As soon as we closed it up and it got dark in there, Enzo perked up and started skittering around. A good sign!

David got back to us with the number of the Animal Rescue League here in Pittsburgh. We called them up, and they told us to bring Enzo in to their wildlife center out in Verona, PA.

I was worried about the hole in Enzo's wing, but when we got there, the volunteer said that it was quite small and that Enzo's prognosis was pretty good. We've got a case number and will keep you updated on Enzo's condition!

Update: "Sadly he was showing signs of rabies and had to be euthanized and sent for testing."